GOC Holidaymaker

Gingee Fort near Pondicherry

Tamil Nadu is well known for its temples, but less so for its forts. Gingee, or Singi, makes up for the lack elsewhere in its sheer size and scale. Over the ages it has seen many occupiers, or occupants:

"In the beginning, Gingee was the place of the Jains but later due to rule of Pallava, Chola kings, Pandya, Hoysalas, Vijayanagara kings. Muhammadans, Mughals and the indifferent attitude of foreigners, the Gingee fort, which was surrounded by the granite walls, the mandapas, the temples inside the fort, was gradually destroyed. The Britishers did not take any steps to renovate the fort. Today Gingee fort is placed as a memorial in the pages of history and also for the sake of its admirers." About Gingee

For the tourist it is as much of a challenge as the military attack! The town of Gingee itself, about 3Km from the fort is unremarkable, and does not have a hotel as such, so most visitors undertake the 2 - 3 hour drive from Pondi or the longer trip from Chennai. This can mean that you arrive during the heat of the day, and then need to climb the steep steps to the most interesting part of the forts. One of the most amazing things about the site is that it is usually deserted, apart from a few locals picnicking or meeting friends in the shade of the ruins at the top. There is nowhere to buy water at some of the entries, so take plenty with you. You will need it!

There are three large, granite hills covered with large boulders, capped with the ruins of the fort. The perimeter is 3 miles of double granite walls. A mosque and museum is at the foot of the largest hill, where there are the remains of the larger palaces and the magnificent granary.  

The trek up the uneven steps to the top of the hills is well worth it for the spectacular view across the plains and the panorama of the forts themselves. The architecture of the  temples and living quarters at the top are representative of many periods of architecture and the museum has examples of sculptures from the very early days of the site's occupation.

Like so many of the sights of India, Gingee surpasses expectation. A ruined fort, but what a fort. A massive site which can hardly be seen in a single day, encompassing so many periods of history and requiring persistance and a great deal of energy to experience, but so worthwhile.

Again, take plenty of water!

Samode Haveli: ideal place for a stay in Jaipur

The havelis of Rajasthan are large mansions where the extended family of the owner lived. Many were built by royalty, but most were and are owned by rich merchants who became wealthy through trade. The architecture is essentially Moghul and the buildings are arranged around courtyards, typically one  for men and an inner courtyard for women. The paintings on the walls of the havelis in Mandawar and in hte Shekawatty regons of Rajasthan are rightly famous and worth a visit. The few remaining havelis in Jaipur have long lost their pictures, but the Samode Haveli is a wonderful example of a royal mansion.

Situated very close to the Pink City there is no better place to explore that sights and bazaars of Jaipur, although it is best to take a car or rickshaw and retain the driver, as the area is confusing and the immediate surroundings lack charm. The hotel itself boasts an elephant ramp, built in the 1940's for a wedding, and which leads to the first courtyard. Most of the rooms are arranged round the courtyards and windows face inwards, away from the city and the sun.

Meals can be taken in the courtyard outside the restaurant, although this is worth braving even in hot weather. When we were there the weather was very hot, 45 degrees, and the large durbar hall was unaffected by the air-conditioning! However, it is sumptuously painted and the windows look over the garden, a green oasis in dusty Jaipur. The food, as in all Samode hotels, is excellent and reasonably priced. The open lounge is an excellent place to relax with afternoon tea, and there are thoughtfully-provided digests of international news available along with a free internet connection.The pool is large, well-serviced and very clean with ample loungers and shady nooks.

Qutub Minar, awesome tourist sight in Delhi

The traffic and general chaos of Delhi makes it a difficult tourist experience, but the sights of the city are well worth the problems of getting about, problems that the new metro may alleviate. (More later). The city itself lacks any coherent charm, which makes the grandeur of its monuments all the more amazing, and, in my opinion, the Qutb Minar is the most interesting of the lot, being unique in India.

Its tower is at 72.5 meters (237.8 ft) the world's tallest brick minaret. The building was started in 1193 India's first Muslim ruler, Qutb-ud-din Aibak, completed by Al-ud-dim in the 13th Century, and has been added to,  damaged by earthquakes and repaired many times since then. From the distance it looks like a brick tower, but as you get closer the scale and complexity of the design become clearer and the beauty of it's surroundings gradually unfold. Quotations from the Koran are built in to the brick all around it and in 1838, Emily Eden in "Up the Country" remarked on her wonder that it was so little known about. .."I expected the Kootub would have been rather inferior the the Monument.." Although a major tourist destination today, it is still little known about in the West. The remains of Hindu and Jain temples, which were demolished when the tower was built,can be clearly seen around the tower, demonstrating the supremacy of the Muslim religion at that time.

Throughout the years many travellers have described the tower and a climb to the top of its several stories, which is now not possible because of safety fears. In the 1830s, Major Archer, in his "Tours in Upper India" described a visit to the tower and the Britsh flag flying from a pavillion at the top, and another of the treasures of its surroundings.

"An iron pillar stands in a sort of courtyard, having the remains of cloisters on the four sides. 
Its history is veiled in darkest night. There is a description which nobody can decifer; not is there any account, historical or traditional, excelt we may refer to the latter class, a prevalent idea of all people, that the pillar is the most sacred spot in the old city. which spot was also its centre. It is also said that as long as the pillar stood, so long would Hindoostan flourish." The pillar is indeed a curiosity, being of iron so pure that it does not rust.

It is dwarfed by the tower, but has its own presence. Close by are the unfinished foundations of another tower,the Alai Minar, begun in the early 1300s by Alauddin Khilji, designed to be taller that the Qutb Minar, but being abandoned after his death at a height of 24 metres. The massive rubble core suggests that it would have been an awesome monument.

Samode Village

Nestling under the walls of the Samode Palace is the village which has been under the protection of the ruling family for hundreds of years. The narrow streets wind between tall havelis- merchants' houses- some of which are painted in the old style and most of which are falling into a sad state of disrepair.

   

When leaving the palace for a stroll through the village you will be greeted by men who are there to take advantage of the tourists and offer paintings, souvenirs and visits to here and there, usually to their home to see their artist relatives at work. It is worth engaging one of these entrepreneurs for  a tour of the village.

Tucked away in the maze of streets are metal and gem workers who are still using mediaeval methods to forge silverware and jewellery, a house which is a refuge for the pigs which clean the streets, the holy cow, which subsists on chapattis, the intricate and beautiful paintings in the temple, the outside of which looks like someone's front yard, the assembly garden of the rajah, where the staff now live and the local schools, where the children will greet you solemnly and refuse to smile for their photograph.

Here you can get an insight into the feudal system of hundreds of years ago and the benefits which patronage might bring. You will get hassled as everyone wants part of the action, but your guide will fend off all others as you go round. We can recommend Ganesh, who speaks excellent English.

Reviews of hotels in Alleppey

Trip Advisor is featuring hotels in Alleppey. Check it out:

http://view.e.tripadvisor.com/?j=fe5b1574776301787312&m=fef213777d6601&ls=fde715727c6303787c167873&l=febe1c7974650d78&s=fe371072746d0578741570&ju=fe27157674640378721178&jb=ffce15&r=0

Trip Advisor is a really great way to keep up with what is going on around the world in your avourite hotels. We know that hotels change and that a good experience one day can be followed with a bad one when the management changes. Just a word of caution: look at the dates of the posts to make sure that the recent ones are good, and remember that people from different countries have different expectations. Look for recent reviews by people from your own country for a real sense of what you are going to experience.

Tiger-spotting at Ranthambore

Visitors to India who take a wildlife safari usually want to see tigers. The tiger is now rare and hard to spot, but Ranthambore offers one of the best options to see this sadly declining animal as the few remaining tigers in the park hunt by day and are unfazed by the many jeeps which trawl the park looking for them. 

Safaris leave early in the morning or in the afternoon and last for three hours. The demand is high, and it is best to book as far in advance as possible. At peak periods it is only possible to book for a fifteen-seat jeepny rather than a jeep. A quick straw poll on our last visit showed that you have about a 20% chance of seeing a tiger, and many are disappointed when the creature fails to show. The park, however, is so much more than a tiger-spotting experience as the huge variety of birds and animals which are seen make any safari worthwhile in spite of tiger failure. The landscape, dotted with the ruins of hunting lodges, is beautiful. Leopard, spotted deer, sambar, bear and a variety of smaller mammals are seen, even by day.

Sitting on the veranda of our lodge at the edge of the park we saw hundreds of birds and a visiting jackal, and a jungle cat hunted right under our noses. One morning we saw the pug marks of a leopard inside our resort and the hotel next door had a visit from its own tiger. The animals often hunt outside the park now, as it is easier to catch a domestic goat or cow, endangering themselves even further from angry humans.

The Nilgiri Steam Railway

The BBC have come up with another series on India which is a gentle reflection on the lives of the people concerned, this time three programmes on the hill railways which were used to transport people and goods to the hill stations ofthe Raj. Last night's was about the Nilgiri railway which pootles its way up  to Ooty, one of the richest and most select of the hill stations.
The deisel trains aren't powerful enough to tackle the steep inclines on some of the route so steam trains are still used, some 100 years old and the railway has been named by Unesco as a World Heritage location.
Rock falls, rain damage and the odd wandering elephant make the efficient running of the railway a daily challenge. During the tourist seaspn tickets are nearly impossible to buy and it is the highlight of many people's visit to Ooty.

Last November landslides took out several stretches of the railway, and it is difficult to find any information on the current state of the track. This is nothing new:

"23rd October 1865:
        Worst Storm on record occurred around ooty and Coonoor. Coonoor Railway station was covered with water up to five feet deep. In Ooty Lake rose up to top of willow bound and threatened to breach it."

http://nilgiris.nic.in/DISASTER_MANAGMENT.htm

The roads too suffer from regular landslides, but it is usally possible to get to the resort from one side or the other. Ootly remains one of the favourite resorts in the Nilgiris and last night's film gives you a taste of why. A good climate, wonderful location and gentle people with the simple aim of doing their jobs as well as they can and a pride in what they do. Watch it again on 27th February, BBC 4, or on i-player.

This  short You-Tube video is a good taster.

Video

Cooking in Kerala

We always ask for feedback from our clients, and are pleased when we learn something new. With fantastic food on offer everywhere in Kerala, cooking comes high on the list of things which visitors want to know how to do, and some hotels and homestays make a point of cookery demonstrations and lessons. Olive Brook in Munnar, Philip Kutty's Farm on the backwaters and the nightly demonstration at the Spice Village are just some. 

This came as part of a feedback email.

...."it was truly excellent experience. It was a cookery demonstration and meal at the home of Paul and Nimmy in Cochin. I would highly recommend this as both entertaining and informative, as it gave an insight of Cochin from a couple born and bred there, an appreciation of local cooking, and superb food prepared by Nimmy (even compared to notable restaurants in Mumbai). Assuming you trust my judgement, I would recommend that you experience this yourself on your next visit to the area, and offer it as an option to your clients."

Nimmy Paul's cookery classes

We shall certainly try to fit a class in when we are next in Cochin, as although we cook pseudo-Keralan food regularly at home, it never quite has the rich taste and subtlety of the real thing!

AN EARLY MORNING WALK IN FORT COCHIN

Recently I found myself awake early in Cochin, and decided to take a walk. It had been raining, but as is often the case, it had stopped and was quite a fine morning when I set out at 6 o'clock. I went via the old Dutch Cemetery to the walk along the front by the Chinese fishing nets. I was very pleased to find that the fishermen were auctioning off their fish catches at several markets along this seafront. Auctions are the same the whole World over, with slight nods of the head or scratching their ear being used to put in or increase a bid for the lot under the hammer.

Then I continued past the ferry terminal and Brunton Boatyard Hotel, along the road bordering the sea. This has lots of spice warehouses, with incredible gateways and entrances. I show here just a few of the pictures I took on my walk. It is about 1 km along this stretch, with warehouses and spice factories mixed in with warehouses for basic products such as rice and lentils.

                 

Eventually you pass the next ferry terminal, and it is possible to return on one of these small ferries to the centre of Fort Cochin. I carried on past several churches, to the old Synagogue. This is the centre of a very touristy area, with lots of antique shops, but at this time in the early morning there were no visitors.

             

I decided that was enough walking, and caught an autorickshaw back to the Old Harbour Hotel for an excellent breakfast.

 

                                   

Munnar

Munnar is the centre of the old British tea plantations in Kerala. Its colonial days are still visible in some of the remaining buildings, but today it is a busy tourist centre with an explosion of hotels and mountain resorts. The climate is attractive when the coast is hot. It can freeze in winter, and is significantly cooler during the hot season.
The surroundings are truly spectacular. Driving over the high Lockhart gap from the South and seeing all of the hills landscaped and sculptured by tea plants and teak trees is unforgettable.
The town itself is not particularly attractive and the new hotels sometimes detract from the view, but there is a bustling market where tailors can make you made-to-measure garments in a few hours and numerous small businesses thrive.
It is easy to hire an auto-rickshaw or car to take a trip out of town, to the Tata tea factory for a guided tour of the tea-making process, to the beautiful Bison Valley which is still covered in Virgin rain forest or to the church and its cemetary which is looked after by a single guardian who will show you the important graves of the English and Scottish tea planters who died here. Top Station, on the border with Tamil Nadu is a must, and the road takes you through the Indo-Swiss dairy project. There is a Swiss Chalet nestling in the hills and herds of polished and extremely stately-looking cows.
The High Ranges Club still functions as a club and although it is possible to book rooms priority is given to members of various organisations and the armed forces. If you can get in to see the clubhouse it is a reminder of times past. The bar and billilard room have polished floors and on the wall are the hats of retired planters and the heads of some formidable animals. The sports facilities include a nine-hole golf course which is immaculately tended.
In Munnar itself the Tourist Centre organise treks through the tea plantations, some of which include an overnight camp, and there are other excursions by bus.
Just walking through the tea is a wonderful way to spend a few hours in the morning or evening, and there are many paths which take you through the plantations towards the mountains.
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